The Wonder House

by Justine Hardy

“Rich with sensual detail, making for vivid impressions.”  — Publishers Weekly
Justine Hardy is an English journalist, a best-selling author, and a filmmaker who has spent much of the past fifteen years living in India. With her American debut, The Wonder House, Hardy has crafted an unforgettable love story set in the turbulent region of Kashmir, one of the most beautiful and broken places in the world. On Nagin Lake sits moored a houseboat called The Wonder House, on which Englishwoman, Gracie Singh, has been living out her widowhood since the death of her Indian husband. From The Wonder House Gracie has watched the valley become brutally disfigured by Pakistan and India’s drawn-out clash over this coveted territory — just as she has watched her best friend and landlord, Masood Abdullah, change from a jeans-wearing, flirtatious young man to an anxious father hemmed in by growing Islamic orthodoxy. Soon after Masood’s nephew disappears to join an extremist militant group, Hal, a journalist from England, comes to interview Gracie, putting them all in grave danger. Told by and about a Western woman’s immersion in the endlessly alluring and troubled Islamic culture of North India, Justine Hardy’s gorgeous and gritty novel about human passions in a battered valley is a vital addition to the literature about India.

Genres: India, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Justine Hardy is a British journalist, author, and conflict trauma therapist specializing in South Asia, and the Kashmir region in particular. She is the author of six books, ranging from journeys through Tibet, Hindi film, her time working on an Indian newspaper, the realities of orthodox Islam, and war.

Hardy has contributed to the BBC, the Financial Times, The Times, Traveler, and Vanity Fair. Her journalism extends from travel in Europe, India, the United States, and the Caribbean, to book reviews and social affairs reporting. Among other topics, she has written articles on the search for peace and the mental health crisis in Kashmir, and on female activists within Islam.

In addition to her writing, Hardy is involved in several aid projects.

Reviews

[Tina Tamman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been intrigued by Kashmir and seen a few pictures, but always wanted more. This is the first novel I have read set in Kashmir. And what a disappointment it was! The author obviously wanted to depict winter and no doubt it is harsh, but she overdid the local colour with pherans (local sleeveless cloaks) and kangri (basketweave 'hot water bottle' with hot ashes carried inside the pherans) - too many pherans! The food is surprisingly bad: hardly any meat is eaten, a lot of chai is drunk, with or without kulcha bread broken into it but people seem to suffer from indigestion or knock over their drinks. There is a lot of crying in the book. The political/military difficulties of Kashmir are well described but add little to what I knew already.
The overall impression is melancholy, cold (not made up by the heat in the final section), wet and damp. I would have loved some humour but I also would have loved a map of the place. Quite a lot of the action is geographical and a map would have helped as I was trying to follow Lila's walk to the market or Hal's journey to the houseboat.
I wish I had felt something for the characters but I did not. Joanna Lumley has said it's "a heartbreaking book", as the cover says, but it failed to reach my heart, let alone break it. I tried hard, wrote down the names of the characters and how they were related, but got often confused. Lila is the warmest character but the author has painted even her in watercolours, let alone Hal who is just cardboard and Gracie who remains odd. The most interesting character is Masood but for me he is more of a sketch than a person.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a collection of short stories about the different residents of a small community outside NYC called Old Cranbury. As the name implies, the different style of the houses play a role in each story.

I like the idea of a short stories collection with a common theme, but some of the stories ended too abruptly for my taste. I don't mind ambiguity, but the stories felt unfinished. The author linked residents within each story, after all most were neighbors, but with the exception of the first and last chapter (my favorites,) the characters only brushed briefly against one another, similar to running into someone you recognize from your street at the grocery store.

The book was somewhat entertaining for this writer who likes the concept of a series of short stories with an overall theme, but others have done it better- (see a Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank.)

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just walked past this at B and N, looking for a good read. I had never heard of this author. Since I had lived on a houseboat in the Kashmir for a week (before the conflict made it difficult to visit,) I was intrigued. What a story. The ending was a total surprise. As I read, I was torn between not wanting to put the book down and putting it down so I could enjoy going back to it. What I learned: life is living through the hard parts, and more.

[Diana Eberhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quietly moving, until its stunning end.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book so far BUT. I’m not prepared to go on with it as the descriptions of violence are horrible.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Wonder House” is a houseboat, moored on Lake Nagin, wherein lives Gracie Singh, an English woman who has continued to live in Kashmir after the death of her Kashmiri husband. Gracie is preparing a party for her eightieth birthday, with the help of the two Kashmiri women who work for her and take care of her, Suriya and her daughter, Lila. The story is set in the late 1990's, and portrays the brutality and coercion that is inflicted upon the Kashmiri people by both sides, in the on-going skirmishes as India and Pakistan fight over the Kashmir valley. Hal, also English and a journalist, comes to Kashmir to report on these on-going conflicts, but also to interview Gracie Singh. This is the story, also, of how his life becomes intertwined with those of these three women. I know little about this region of the world, and so enjoyed this book both for offering me some information about the people and landscape, but also for the personal stories that were developed here.

[Anna bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was delighted to find this book..amazingly picked up new for a pound!!
Having been to India I became interested in learning about Kashmir and the partition.This book had everything I want in a book-Lots of descritive sections about the location and of scenery and nature,characters that I could immediately understand or empathise with,a bit of history to learn a little and(being a romantic female)a love story.
It was a perfect summer read and was hard to know towards the end whether to rush back to it or save it!!!
My favorite character was a man called Masood,a religious family man who was very sensitive towards his family and friends.
This is Justine Hardy's first novel and I just hope I get chance to read all her others!!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts I really liked about this book, it transported me to its setting, a houseboat on a lake in Kashmir amidst the heartbreaking war surrounding it as India and Pakistan struggle for dominance. It is well written and seems authentic; the characters are interesting and genuine and their stories are like so many other humans caught in wartime but trying to live a normal life. There is a bit too much drama but it is compelling, I had a hard time putting it down and read it really fast because I needed to know what happens. This is yet another conflict in the world that I knew little about, so it again expanded the world for me and I had to learn more. I would like to reread it, nice and slow, and really absorb the beauty of the place she describes.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I found this book on the 'take a book, leave a book' shelf in my lobby, about a British woman who married an Indian man and then lives out her days in Kashmir, I thought it was kismet. Found the character studies interesting, but the story a bit lacking. The best part wass the internal wrestling of here friend and neighbour dealing with temptation and his own religiosity within the complex political environment....definitely no black and white to be found.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book which can teach you something about Kashmir, its history and political situation. Ostensibly a love story, it has a poor ending but is sufficiently interesting and well-written to keep one's interest. The descriptions of Kashmir and Kashmiri life are lovely and instructive.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reading about India and Pakistan is limited, but I thought this was an interesting look at the culture, physical and emotional climate. The writing is strong, which drew me in when I didn't expect it.

[Piers Moore Ede · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, evocative writing by an author who deserves to be better known. Combining a sensitive look at the politics in Kashmir with a touching love story, this is moving and perceptive writing in the vein of Ondaatje.

[Rotna Das · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it as part of a book reading group. I would not have selected this book on my own.
However, it's an interesting story , and topical now , because of price bless in the area. Hal is an interesting character, and Lila is unconventional, but would have liked to see a different ending

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

know the author and really liked it....

[Khushbu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asal.